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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24053344">Why Not?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joren22/pseuds/Joren22'>Joren22</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>CSI: Crime Scene Investigation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, fluff?, some strong language</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:41:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,854</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24053344</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joren22/pseuds/Joren22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick almost gets shot again. Greg makes some decisions.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Why Not?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, this is the first fic I'm posting... Not sure if they'll be more. Trying to get myself writing, and figured might as well.<br/>All thoughts are welcome.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Greg Sanders couldn’t do it anymore. That he was sure of. The blood. The death. Those he could manage. The amount of cruelty that humanity could offer. He could handle that too. What he couldn’t take any longer was the fact that he had feelings for Nick Stokes, and Nick kept somehow almost dying. A lot. And Greg couldn’t handle keeping these feelings to himself anymore. </p>
<p>He was sure that he had to do something about it. Catherine had just told him that Nick and Brass had just talked down a guy from shooting someone. Nick had another gun shoved in his face again. And again was one more time that Greg had to contemplate the idea of the man being shot. Greg sat down the pen he was using and looked up at her.</p>
<p>“What? Where?” The questions came quickly. “Is he-they all right?” He corrected himself. His anxiety and frustration coming out in a short breath. His right hand shook slightly with a tremor that he rarely felt these days. Only when he was caught off guard. He could remember the last time that had happen. It was a good thing it hadn’t happened in a while though and he was able to stop it easily. </p>
<p>“Yes, Greg.” Catherine replied, ignoring the first two questions. “Nicky is fine. They got the guy. He confessed at the apartment. He should be back soon.” She smiled softly like she always did. Like she knew exactly what his next question would be. Greg had a feeling that his supervisor knew how he felt about Nick, though he hadn’t spoken to anyone at work about it. Catherine was a CSI after all, and a damn good one.</p>
<p>“You’re not going to get any where else on those samples. Day-shift can take over from there. You’ve pulled two doubles in a row. Go home. If you’re as half as tired as I am, you need to rest.” She smiled gently. Greg sighed, knowing she was right. They’d been so short handed lately that all of them were exhausted.</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah I will. Just gonna drop these to Hodges and I’ll hit the road.” He nodded back and started gathering the files together. “You’re heading out soon then as well?” He meant it more as a hopeful statement than a question. He was pretty sure she’s been here longer than he had.</p>
<p>“Yes, and then I won’t see you for seventeen hours?” She said looking down at her watch and doing the math. “Right, Greg?” A knowing look on her face.</p>
<p>“Yup, I promise I’ll take the half shift Cath, thank you.” Greg had been working a lot of over time and Eickle was giving Catherine a hard time about every one of her CSIs doing the same. She nodded and left.</p>
<p>	Hodges would be happy that Greg wasn’t giving him much to do. More time for him to fawn over Wendy, to be sure. He wanted to like Hodges, but the man always said something awkward or off putting at the most inappropriate moments. Grabbing his stuff and heading towards Hodges’ office Greg’s thoughts were back to the problem at hand.</p>
<p>	He didn’t think he could continue keeping his feelings on the sidelines. The only reason he had never acted on them was the prospect of losing Nick’s friendship. They were admittedly as close friends as two co-workers could be. He had come close to saying something to Nick a couple of times over the years, but he had always stopped himself. After the explosion in lab, he meant to talk to him. Then he didn’t. Then Nick had been buried alive and that whole ordeal had smacked Greg right in the face more than he wanted to admit to himself. And he hadn’t the right to make any part of that about himself in anyway, so he hadn’t said anything then.</p>
<p>	It seemed that Nick had liked putting himself in dangerous situation if you asked Greg. And frankly, he was sure he couldn’t take it anymore. They could be dead tomorrow and then all Greg would have left was regret. He was less worried about Nick shooting him down for the obvious reason of him being a guy. Nick was a pretty private person when it came to his personal life, especially since Warrick had died. And Greg wasn’t exactly lying when he made comments about beautiful women. Bisexual men were allowed to do that. He just hadn’t really been that motivated to have any female companions in last few years. He had figured out in college that it was better to go without than try to find substitutes for what he really wanted when it came to love.</p>
<p>	And yes, he was pretty sure he was in love with Nick Stokes. It hadn’t come in one blazing realization or glaring moment of clarity. It had come slowly over years. The first time he had realized he was truly in love was around four years ago. Nick had told him that Texas A&amp;M had just won some football and Greg was trying to pay attention, but the way Nick was smiling was far too distracting. It was a real, genuine smile. The kind that Nick offered often. But that one had been just for Greg for some reason, or he’d felt it had at the time. And that’s when he knew.</p>
<p>	It was all quite tiring to think about actually. Hodges took the files from him and made some comment that Greg didn’t reply to as he left. His brain was currently having an argument with his heart as he headed for his locker intending to do as he told Catherine he would. The arguing continued in him as he hung his lab up and slipped on his jacket. He could wait for Nick to come back. Get himself to talk. He knew pretty much what he wanted to say, but one didn’t just go around making grand declarations of love. Did they? Well, he didn’t at any rate. He talked a big game sometimes, but rarely actually felt the need to act on it.</p>
<p>	Or he could just go home and sleep on it. He knew now he would do something about it. It being the need to say something to Nick, but it didn’t have to be tonight, did it? His brain quickly reminded him, however, that that was precisely what he’d been telling himself for years. Was he just going to wait till the next time Nick gets a gun jammed in he his? What if the trigger gets pulled next time? Then where would he be? His heart supplies him with the simple question. Internal arguments aside, he had been blankly staring at the back of his open locker longer than he meant too. Grabbing his boots to change, he sat down on the bench and began to tug his shoes off.</p>
<p>	Greg realized how tired he must be when the locker three down from his opened suddenly causing him to startle out of his shoe tying routine. He looked up to see the object of his reverie taking off his vest.</p>
<p>“Hey.” Nick said simply as he grabbed shoes for changing as well. </p>
<p>“Hey, are you okay?” Greg asking quickly, assuring himself that his voice hadn’t just squeaked. “Catherine some guy pulled a gun on you?”</p>
<p>“Well, yeah. Jim was there, but I wasn’t entirely sure that dude was going to give up as easily as he did. After I told him we found the DNA of that Masters guy on the knife that killed his daughter, he was a little more willing to stand down. I still feel a little bad that he’s going to jail for killing the man that killed his daughter, but he did murder someone and all.” Nick raddles off quickly, clear still a little amped from the adrenaline spike that Greg was sure he was still floating on. Greg knew for his own practice with near death experiences that you felt a whole lot of things in short period of time</p>
<p>	He might still riding a little bit of a high from his own emotional reaction to the situation when he was asks the next question.</p>
<p>“Are you hungry?” Greg didn’t even know he was going to ask that when it came out of his mouth. “I mean, you’re done now too, right? You can go home?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m done Greggo.” Nick replied as he finished fitting his second shoe on and slipping Greg that easy smile.</p>
<p>           Yeah, he was fucked, Greg thought to himself.</p>
<p>“And yes, I am pretty hungry. Where ya taking me?” Nick chuckled as grabbed the rest of his things and pulled a satchel from this locker.</p>
<p>	Greg amended his previous thought because now he was more fucked. He hadn’t thought this through. He hadn’t. Nick had been just as likely to turn Greg’s offer of food down in lieu of just going to sleep. That’s what’s Greg had expected, but not what he wanted. He needed to get his shit together.</p>
<p>“Um, Mikey’s?” Does Nick like that place? It being almost seven AM Greg’s mind went to breakfast.</p>
<p>“Sounds good. Give me a sec? I need to talk to Catherine real quick.” Nick said, that same smile still not leaving his face. For a guy that almost just got shot he’s smiling a lot Greg notices.</p>
<p>“Yeah, of course. I’ll be here.” And Nick is off to find their boss. That gives Greg just enough time to finish putting himself together and take a deep breath. He’s practically willing himself to not freak out. Is he actually about to do this? IS he? He’s not sure. </p>
<p>	Yeah, he’s going to do it. Maybe. Nope, no maybe. He’s got this. He’s not sweating at all. It’s just Nick and breakfast. He doesn’t even need to bring up the fact he’s in love. Just bacon and eggs. Maybe some toast. And breathing. Breathing is good he reminds himself again. Greg slings one backpack strap over his shoulder and moves to the hall to wait for Nick. Suddenly he’s glad that Ray or Sara aren’t around. Sara knows him to well and Ray is far too observant for Greg to deal with right now. They’d ask too many questions he thinks. Well, they may not ask a lot of questions, but Greg has too many floating in his head as is. Better not to add more.</p>
<p>	True to his word, it’s only a minute or two before Nick comes strolling around to corner. “Come on, Greggo, you ready to do this?” Heading down the hall to hold the door open for his companion.</p>
<p>Greg is pretty sure he actually is, because why shouldn’t he? He’s not sure of the exact words he’ll use or if he’ll even say the right thing. Be he does know that he can’t let uncertainty hold him back anymore. So he heads after the man he most certainly loves and replies with the only thing he can get his brain and heart to agree on.</p>
<p>“Why not?”</p>
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